1) On dropbox.com again, click “Download Dropbox” on the left side of the webpage.
2) Locate the downloaded file named “Dropbox.dmg”
Note: If you’re using Safari, the downloaded file should appear in Safari’s download folder, which you can access by clicking the download icon in the top right hand corner of the browser window. If it does not appear there, you can alternatively find it in your computer’s download folder.
3) Open the file “dropbox.dmg” to start the installer.
4) Double click on the blue Dropbox icon in the new window.
5) If a window appears asking if you want to open the Dropbox application, click “open”.
6) On the next screen that appears, click the option that says, “I already have a Dropbox account”, then press “Continue”.
7) Fill in the email and password boxes with the account information you created in Section 1, then press “Continue”.
8) In the following window, select the option “2GB”, then press “Continue”.
Note: If you desire more space for your Dropbox account, you can opt to pay for 100-200 GB of additional space. You can apply this upgrade to your account at any time, though these instructions will not cover that process.
9) The next screen will ask you to “Choose setup type”. As the installer recommends, choose the option “Typical”.
10) The following window helps you connect your account with your smartphone. If you would like to do this, you can either enter your information on this screen now, or go look at our iPhone set up instructions later.
Note: if you choose to set it up now, enter your cell phone number into the box provided.
11) The following window offers you a tour of Dropbox. These instructions will cover the same information in closer detail, so select the option “Skip Tour” and then press “Finish”.
2) Locate the downloaded file named “Dropbox.dmg”
Note: If you’re using Safari, the downloaded file should appear in Safari’s download folder, which you can access by clicking the download icon in the top right hand corner of the browser window. If it does not appear there, you can alternatively find it in your computer’s download folder.
3) Open the file “dropbox.dmg” to start the installer.
4) Double click on the blue Dropbox icon in the new window.
5) If a window appears asking if you want to open the Dropbox application, click “open”.
6) On the next screen that appears, click the option that says, “I already have a Dropbox account”, then press “Continue”.
7) Fill in the email and password boxes with the account information you created in Section 1, then press “Continue”.
8) In the following window, select the option “2GB”, then press “Continue”.
Note: If you desire more space for your Dropbox account, you can opt to pay for 100-200 GB of additional space. You can apply this upgrade to your account at any time, though these instructions will not cover that process.
9) The next screen will ask you to “Choose setup type”. As the installer recommends, choose the option “Typical”.
10) The following window helps you connect your account with your smartphone. If you would like to do this, you can either enter your information on this screen now, or go look at our iPhone set up instructions later.
Note: if you choose to set it up now, enter your cell phone number into the box provided.
11) The following window offers you a tour of Dropbox. These instructions will cover the same information in closer detail, so select the option “Skip Tour” and then press “Finish”.
The Files app brings all of your files together. Easily browse, search, and organize all your files in one place. Not just the ones on the device you're using, but also those in apps, in iCloud Drive, and across other cloud services.
Apple’s iOS apps can store their files anywhere. You just have to know how to tell them. Force Apple’s iOS apps to use Dropbox or any other storage. I have a friend who came back to. Bye bye drop box, I have moved everything to BT Cloud (no integration with files app yet) and iCloud Drive. The features of drop box become purposeless at 3 devices. The opportunity to link 2 computers an iPad and an iPhone are no longer possible. No doubt Bezos has put up the cost of AWS or they are just greedy.
Before you begin
- Update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to the latest iOS, or iPadOS.
- Set up iCloud on all of your devices and turn on iCloud Drive.
- Make sure that you’re signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID on all of your devices.
If you don't want to access your iCloud Drive files in the Files app, you can choose to download and add only third-party cloud services instead.
Find your files
To access your files, just open the Files app and choose the location of the file you're looking for.
Save a copy of your file locally
You can find locally stored files in On My [device], under Locations. On your iPad, simply drag files into the On My iPad folder to store them directly on your device. If you want to save a file locally on your iPhone or iPod touch, follow these steps.
- Go to the file that you want to store on your device.
- Tap Select > the file name > Organize .
- Under On My [Device], choose a folder or tap New Folder to create a new one.
- Tap Copy.
You can also long press on a file, choose Move, and select which folder you want to copy it to.
On iOS 12 or earlier, tap the file and choose Move. Then, under On My [device], choose Numbers, Keynote, or Pages, and tap Copy.
![Dropbox download mac Dropbox download mac](https://www.askdavetaylor.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/dropbox-mac-basics-3-620x310.png)
Move iCloud Drive files
- Go to the file that you want to move.
- Tap Select, then choose the file.
- Tap Organize .
- Under On My [Device], choose a folder or tap New Folder to create a new one.
- Tap Move.
You can also long press on a file, choose Move, and select which folder you want to copy it to.
Look for files on other devices
Follow the steps for your device.
- On your Mac, go to Finder > iCloud Drive.
- On iCloud.com, go to the iCloud Drive app.
- On your PC with iCloud for Windows, go to File Explorer > iCloud Drive.
Organize your files
It’s easy to organize all of the files stored in iCloud Drive — including Pages, Numbers, and Keynote documents. When you make changes on one device, your edits are automatically updated on every device using iCloud Drive.
You can make your own folders. Or rename the files and folders you already have when you press firmly on them.
Create new folders
- Go to Locations.
- Tap iCloud Drive, On My [device], or the name of a third-party cloud service where you want to keep your new folder.
- Swipe down on the screen.
- Tap More .
- Select New Folder.
- Enter the name of your new folder. Then tap Done.
On iOS 12 or earlier, tap New Folder . If you don't see New Folder or it's gray, then the third-party cloud service doesn't support new folders.
View your files by name, date, size, or the tags that you add. With colorful and custom labels, you can assign tags to your files any way that you like. That means you'll quickly find just the project or document you need.
Add a tag
- Tap Select.
- Tap the file that you want to tag.
- Tap Share > Add Tags .
- Choose the tag that you want to add.
Rename a tag
- Go to Locations.
- Tap More > Edit.
- Tap the name of an existing tag.
- Enter the name of your new tag.
- Tap Done.
Delete files
Select the files that you don't want anymore and tap Delete . If you delete files from the iCloud Drive folder on one device, they delete on your other devices too. iCloud Drive removes the files from every device that you're signed in to with the same Apple ID.
When you delete a file from iCloud Drive or On My [device], it goes into your Recently Deleted folder. If you change your mind or accidentally delete a file, you have 30 days to get it back. Go to Locations > Recently Deleted. Select the file that you want to keep and tap Recover. After 30 days, your files are removed from Recently Deleted.
You can also sign into iCloud.com from your Mac or PC, then go to iCloud Drive and check Recently Deleted.
Share and work on files with your friends
Want to share a document with a friend or colleague? Send them a link to any file stored in iCloud Drive directly from the Files app. Select the file, tap Share , and select Add People. You can also share a copy of your file through AirDrop, Messages, Mail, a shared note, and more.
Or maybe you want to collaborate on a project in real time. The Files app lets you do that too with your Pages, Numbers, and Keynote documents. Select the file and tap Share or > Add People . You can invite them to collaborate through Messages, Mail, or copy and paste a link. Your participants are color-coded. And you can see when they're online, actively working on your shared document.
Use third-party apps in Files
The Files app lets you add your third-party cloud services — like Box, Dropbox, OneDrive, Adobe Creative Cloud, Google Drive, and more — so that you can access all of your files on all of your devices. The files you keep in iCloud Drive automatically appear in the Files app, but you need to set up your other cloud services to access them in the Files app too.
Add third-party apps
- Download and set up the third-party cloud app.
- Open the Files app.
- Tap the Browse tab.
- Tap More > Edit.
- Turn on the third-party apps that you want to use in the Files app.
- Tap Done.
On iOS 12 or earlier, open the Files app then tap Locations > Edit to add third-party apps.
If you don't see one of your third-party cloud services in the Files app, check with your cloud provider.
Move third-party cloud files
- Open the file that you want to move.
- Tap Share > Copy.
- Open the folder where you want to move your file.
- Firmly press the screen.
- Tap Paste.
Do more with Files on iPadOS
If you're on iPadOS, you can access files on a USB drive, SD card, or hard drive through the Files app on iPadOS. Just connect the drive, and then you can select it under Locations. You can also connect to a file server in Apple File System (APFS), Mac OS Extended, MS-DOS (FAT), and ExFAT formats. You also have the option to view your files in Column View, which is helpful if you have files nested in multiple folders. Column View lets you see previews of files and offers access to tools like markup and rotate without even opening a file.
Connect to a file server
- Open the Browse tab.
- Tap More .
- Select Connect to Server.
- Enter the SMB address.
- Tap Connect.
- The server name appears under Shared in the Browse menu.
Switch to Column View
- In landscape mode, open the Browse tab.
- Select a folder.
- Swipe down on the right side of the screen.
- Select Column View in the upper right.
- Tap a folder to expand its contents.
- Tap a file to see a preview.
To leave Column View, tap Grid View or List View , or use your iPad in portrait mode.